To Our Mutual Benefit: One Step Beyond
by Cheshire Pandacat
Summary: Dating an overly-complicated illusionist can be a real hassle sometimes. Bastard's lucky he's worth it. TOMB-verse, one-shot, 6959, smut.


A/Ns: Gokudera curses a lot in this one.

In addition to just being sick (lol) of working on it, one of the reasons I posted "Sick of Body" without being fully satisfied with it was because I _really _wanted to post this one. 8D

In addition to TOMB itself, this makes direct reference to "TOMB: Desires," "TOMB: Nightmares," and "TOMB: Sick of Body." And an aspect of Mukuro's personality that first showed up in "TOMB: Five Senses" is pretty prominent here. So more than any of the other stuff I've written for this series, for the full context, you should really read everything else in the series first.

Warnings: Smut.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

* * *

To Our Mutual Benefit

One Step Beyond

* * *

Gokudera stood in the convenience store for what must have been ten minutes, staring at the chocolate sauce on the shelf. Finally, he took a deep breath, let it out in a gust, and grabbed a bottle.

He picked up a few other small items he needed so he wouldn't be the weirdo who only bought chocolate sauce, then went home.

Mukuro was waiting outside the door of his apartment, staring off into the distance and looking bored. When he spotted Gokudera, he smiled, but there was a hint of annoyance as well.

"There you are," Mukuro said. "I thought you said to come over at five?"

"Uh, yeah, sorry," Gokudera replied, scratching the back of his head with his free hand before moving to unlock and open the door. "I had to pick some stuff up."

"Oh?" Mukuro said as he followed Gokudera inside, but his tone and facial expression was disinterested.

"Yeah, uh, you know, shampoo, toothpaste… lube… uh… chocolate sauce…" Gokudera fought the urge to blush and hunch his shoulders, which only got more difficult when Mukuro shot him a half-curious, half-amused look.

"If that last was an attempt to cater to my tastes, I appreciate it," Mukuro replied dryly, "but you don't exactly have anything to put chocolate sauce _on._"

Doing his best to sound nonchalant, Gokudera said, "Sure I do."

"Oh?" Mukuro's lips twitched with suppressed laughter.

He could make eye contact while saying this with a straight face. He could, he could, he fucking _could._

"Yeah," Gokudera answered, tone defiant. "…Me." Which Mukuro had been expecting and trying to make him say straight out to tease him. Except Gokudera knew Mukuro would figure it out quickly, but he had something else in mind to surprise Mukuro with, too. So he took a deep breath and went on in a rushed mumble, "AndIguessyoucanhandcuffmeorwhateverifyouwant."

Ah, he was glad he'd been able to make eye contact. Not only did Mukuro's eyes widen, the damn bastard even looked a little bit _flustered._

Then Mukuro's expression shifted into a predatory one, and Gokudera's heart began to pound.

"Really?" Mukuro purred, bending to nuzzle at Gokudera's neck. "Can I?"

"Yeah," Gokudera replied, tipping his head to the side so Mukuro had access to more skin. "Having chocolate on me is a small price to pay to have you lick it off. And, uh, I mean… if it's just my hands, I guess I don't mind trying… it's not like I necessarily need to use them during that anyway, and I can always kick you if you act like a dick about it, so…" He trailed off awkwardly. Mukuro's hands settled on Gokudera's hips and pulled them tight against his own. Gokudera shivered.

"You're nervous," Mukuro murmured, lips brushing against Gokudera's earlobe. Gokudera shrugged, squirming. Mukuro's hands circled around, the fingers of one tucking into the back of Gokudera's jeans as the other massaged the small of his back. Mukuro's nuzzling migrated to Gokudera's temple, and he pressed, "Nervous in a good way?"

"Mostly," Gokudera muttered. In an effort to show that yes, he was still fucking fine with this, he draped his arms over Mukuro's shoulders and tilted his head to bump affectionately against Mukuro's. He could feel Mukuro smile against his skin.

"Do you even have anything we could use as restraints?" Mukuro asked, one hand trailing up and down Gokudera's spine.

Gokudera frowned. "You can just make them out of real illusions, can't you?"

"No."

Gokudera blinked, just as surprised by the curt tone as he was by the answer. "Why the fuck not?"

Mukuro pulled back. "I suppose it would be more accurate to say _won't, _rather than can't," he said, eyes and tone chilly. "I don't want to use illusions for anything involving sex with you."

Gokudera's brow furrowed with confusion, but he shrugged. "Uh, okay. If I ask you why now, can we still have sex? Or should I save asking for later? If you still want to have sex at all," he added, not wanting Mukuro to feel obligated or anything. Especially not since Gokudera had intended to let Mukuro do what he wanted tonight.

Mukuro tilted his head, giving Gokudera a cool, contemplative look. He stepped forward again, fingers brushing over Gokudera's hips. The nuzzle he gave Gokudera's temple this time felt almost experimental. He wasn't radiating the sexual heat he had been before, either, so Gokudera wasn't sure how he should be responding.

After a moment he got sick of waiting for a cue and shrugged Mukuro off, grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him into the kitchen.

"Sit," Gokudera instructed firmly, scowling. Mukuro blinked at him mildly, but sat down in the chair. He started to cross his legs, too, but before he could, Gokudera straddled and sat in Mukuro's lap, gripping the back of the chair with both hands in case the bastard decided not to support him.

Mukuro's arms folded around Gokudera's waist, holding him in place. Confident now that Mukuro would keep him steady, Gokudera shifted his hands to Mukuro's shoulders, fingers moving in a light massage. He leaned his forehead against Mukuro's, then tentatively tried to duplicate the way Mukuro always nuzzled at his temple. He could see why Mukuro liked doing it – in addition to displaying affection, it was nice to just be able to inhale Mukuro's scent, and Mukuro was way more fixated on scent than Gokudera was.

After a moment, Mukuro said in a more normal tone of voice, "This is nice, but what are you doing, Hayato?"

"Comforting you," Gokudera said sharply, bristling, annoyed that Mukuro didn't understand. _He_ always knew when Mukuro was trying to comfort _him._

"Ah," Mukuro said dryly, sounding so amused that Gokudera snarled, and would have stood if not for Mukuro's arms tightening around him. "I'm not laughing at you, Hayato. Stay?"

Gokudera glared at him, then looked away, aware that he was blushing and pissed off about it.

Then Mukuro's cheek was rubbing against his chest, a gesture so plaintive Gokudera could pick up on the undertone without even looking. Which set off warning bells in Gokudera's head, but he wasn't sure why Mukuro had gotten upset in the first place. His mood had been a little strange since the moment Gokudera had arrived, actually.

What was going through Mukuro's head? Sometimes he was damn difficult to figure out.

Gokudera wrapped one arm around Mukuro's shoulders as he stroked Mukuro's hair with his other hand. "Damn high maintenance bastard," he grumbled under his breath.

"If you don't want to, then don't," Mukuro snapped, yanking his head back.

Gokudera stared at him. "Fuck, man, that's not what I meant. What's wrong?"

The question just seemed to agitate Mukuro even more. "Off," he said icily, releasing Gokudera.

Gokudera stood, brow furrowed with confusion. He was pissed off, too, but more confused than anything else. "Shit, Mukuro, what the he – _fuck!_"

Mukuro had lunged forward, knocking Gokudera down with enough force to knock Gokudera's head against the floor, then pinned him roughly in place. After a brief moment of staring up at Mukuro with surprise, Gokudera punched him in the face.

He hadn't been able to put much force behind it from his position, but Mukuro jerked back enough for Gokudera to squirm out from under him. He leapt to his feet and backtracked a few steps, tense and wary, surreptitiously rubbing the back of his head.

Mukuro stood, too, and crossed his arms, his face a mask of cool displeasure. Being hit didn't seem to have left a mark, but Gokudera hadn't been able to hit him very hard.

"What the _hell, _Mukuro?" Gokudera asked, trying to clamp down on some of his anger so that they could talk instead of fight. When Mukuro just looked broody and didn't answer, Gokudera said brusquely, "Can I go over there without you attacking me?"

Mukuro gave a slight twitch of his head that might have been a nod, so Gokudera walked up to him. With Mukuro behaving so erratically, all Gokudera could do was guess what the right thing to do was, and he didn't want to risk touching Mukuro when his body language was so closed off.

So Gokudera just ran a hand through his hair, looked Mukuro in the eyes, and demanded again, "What's wrong? Or do you want me to guess?" he added acidly.

"…Let's hear you try guessing," Mukuro said, tone frigid.

Gokudera growled. "You were already in a bad mood when you got here, you got upset when I suggested you use illusions for restraints, and you got upset when I called you high maintenance. I know _what _you were reacting to, I just don't fucking know _why_. As far as I know what you were cranky about wasn't because of me, you're the one who wants to tie me up, and I've called you high maintenance before and it never bothered you." Annoyingly, he was just as concerned as he was pissed off. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly. "Talk to me, man."

Mukuro's frosty façade lasted another beat before finally collapsing into an exhausted, frustrated expression. "I was in the wrong mood to endure belittling comments like that – and I know you don't mean them that way, Hayato," Mukuro went on before Gokudera could do more than open his mouth. "It's your way of expressing affection, and usually I think it's cute. I want you to continue to do so in the future. That was just bad timing."

"Sorry," Gokudera grumbled, and Mukuro shot him a brief, tired smile, before looking broody again.

After a few moments of what seemed to be some kind of internal struggle, Mukuro finally said, "I find needing to explain not wanting to use illusions during sex with you even more upsetting than you suggesting I do so in the first place."

"_I _find it upsetting that I'm supposed to understand this shit the moment it happens," Gokudera retorted. "And I find it _really _fucking upsetting to get fucking _attacked _before you even tell me that much."

Mukuro's eyes snapped back at him, lip curling back in the beginning of a snarl, before he closed his eyes, sighed, and looked the other way. "…Sorry. I was just…"

"Just?" Gokudera prompted when Mukuro trailed off.

Mukuro stared down at his feet, shoulders hunching. It was such an uncharacteristic display of anxiety that Gokudera felt his concern mounting all over again. He reached forward, taking one of Mukuro's hands in his own, gently pulling until Mukuro uncrossed his arms.

Mukuro stared at their hands, then slowly wove their fingers together. "…Making sure you were real," he said vaguely in a tone that didn't sound like Mukuro at all, eyes practically vacant.

Oh.

Oh, _fuck._

Fucking _dammit._

"Do you want me to punch you, or hug you?" Gokudera asked bluntly.

Mukuro looked like he actually had to think about it, which both worried and pissed off Gokudera even more. "…Hug me," he whispered at last.

So Gokudera wrapped an arm around Mukuro's back, pulling him in as close as he could. Mukuro's hand clutched at the back of Gokudera's shirt, and he rubbed his cheek in Gokudera's hair. Mukuro finally let go of Gokudera's other hand and soon had both arms wrapped tightly around him. Gokudera used his freed hand to stroke Mukuro's hair.

"I do apologize, Hayato."

"Good."

"…You're supposed to say it's okay."

"It's not fucking okay. But you apologized, so I'll let it go. And find some other way to check if I'm real, because if you attack me again, I will be fucking pissed."

"You're already _fucking pissed,_" Mukuro muttered, sounding a bit more like himself again. Gokudera relaxed a little.

"Not compared to how pissed I'll be if you attack me again."

"Duly noted," Mukuro drawled. Which sounded so much like him that Gokudera would have been relieved if not for the fact that Mukuro was holding on tighter than ever.

After a minute, Mukuro said quietly, "If I am… _too_ high maintenance… I'd understand, Hayato."

Gokudera snorted. "Good to know, but you're not."

"Oh?" Mukuro drew back just enough to turn them so Gokudera's back was to the wall with Mukuro's hands on either side of his head, boxing him in. The smug, self-assured mask Mukuro presented to the world was back on his face, and he bent so that his eyes were level with Gokudera's. "I'm well aware of how difficult I am to work with in any capacity, let alone so intimately. And I've just caused you a great deal of stress and emotional hardship. So where does such easy confidence come from, I wonder?"

Gokudera stilled, and Mukuro's behavior finally clicked into place.

Mukuro didn't like the idea of using illusions with Gokudera during sex because it made it seem less real to him, which in turn brought out the nastier side of his personality and occasionally triggered episodes like this. He'd already been hovering on the brink of uncertainty because Gokudera had offered to do something he'd opposed vehemently the first time it was brought up without any prompting or persuasion. And for whatever reason, he'd been in a bad mood to start off with, so everything had agitated him more than it otherwise would have.

But Mukuro didn't like talking about his feelings, particularly not the ones that sparked this kind of erratic behavior. And Gokudera had gotten pretty good about guessing what was wrong and why, so his not being able to instantly pick up on it this time had been frustrating and upsetting, and worse, caused even more doubt and emotional vulnerability.

Then Gokudera calling him high maintenance had rubbed the wrong nerve the wrong way. And now, after ascertaining that Gokudera himself was real, Mukuro was suspicious of Gokudera's acceptance of Mukuro's behavior. Which was also keeping him on edge and anxious, two feelings that Mukuro often responded to by getting mean.

Gokudera wanted to bitch about Mukuro being too fucking complicated sometimes, and overthinking all the wrong fucking things, but right now that would be a bad idea.

Later, though, he promised himself. He was definitely giving Mukuro an earful about it later.

"Is that your way of asking me to tell you what I like about you?" Gokudera asked sarcastically. The best way to deal with this mood was to just not put up with it. Which relieved Gokudera, because that was how he wanted to respond to it anyway.

Mukuro blinked owlishly at him, then smiled and gave Gokudera's temple a quick nuzzle. Just like that, his mood had shifted, but he was still way off-balance. "If you would," Mukuro purred, tone not quite disguising how much he was struggling with himself.

Fuck. The damn bastard really needed the reassurance, too. "Will you return the favor if I do?" Gokudera pressed. If he had to talk about something that would leave him feeling vulnerable and exposed, then so did Mukuro, dammit.

Mukuro's eyes softened. A little. "Very well."

Gokudera grimaced and fidgeted, trying to pick the right words. "Well, uh, you're… _usually _really considerate, towards me and people you like, anyway – "

"Considerate?" Mukuro repeated, looking baffled and sounding suspicious. "How so?"

Gokudera growled. He was doing a lot of that this evening. "You… ugh. Look, it's the first good quality of yours I ever noticed, okay? Remember, uh… you know, before we were dating, when, uh, the third day you were at my place, and…"

"When you wanted me to look like Tsuna," Mukuro said, eyes frosting a little again. "I remember."

Gokudera scowled. He wished they could both just forget about that. And bringing it up under these circumstances was even worse, but he had to explain where "considerate" came from. Mukuro had to believe that what he was saying was real.

"Well, after that, you… tried to reassure me. Even though… fuck, you were injured, I had to have hurt you, and I doubt you liked going along with it in the first place. I expected you to mock me, or say something to make me feel worse, or even just push me away, but you tried to cheer me up. Whenever I get mad, or upset, you always know how to calm me down. And you don't act like it was stupid or even weird for me to _be _upset. You're always thinking about my feelings, and how to make me feel good. Fuck, Mukuro, you really take good care of the rest of your gang, too, however you try to pretend you're an asshole by saying obnoxious shit sometimes. You're a considerate person, whether you're willing to admit it or not. Just… selectively."

Mukuro said nothing.

"You listen to me," Gokudera forced himself to plow on, no matter how hard he was blushing, no matter how painful and terrifying it was to expose his feelings so thoroughly. "You get me. You appreciate me. When _I'm _the one having a problem, you take care of me. When you're not being a dick or fucking creepy, you're actually pretty fun to spend time with. You're really smart. Shit, can I be shallow too? You're fucking gorgeous, and sex with you feels amazing. I like the way you touch me. You've kept your promise about being honest with me about our relationship. You trust me, which, coming from you, makes me feel pretty fucking special. You – "

Mukuro's thumb traced Gokudera's lower lip as his fingers tucked under Gokudera's chin, silencing him. Gokudera inhaled sharply, then began to shiver, feeling stripped of all protection.

"My turn," Mukuro said quietly, looping his free arm around Gokudera's waist. Bending to kiss Gokudera's neck, he went on, "You're kind, and compassionate, and earnest. You're the most reliable person I know."

Mukuro's hands moved to Gokudera's hips, and he gave Gokudera a brief, questioning look, as if wondering if his touch was welcome right now. Gokudera gave a jerking nod, face bright red. Mukuro smiled, and returned his lips to Gokudera's throat, then drew his hands upwards, lifting Gokudera's shirt with them. Mukuro bent lower to trail kisses down Gokudera's chest as his fingers caressed Gokudera's nipples. Gokudera shuddered.

"You're very sincere, and always honestly display your feelings, even if you very cutely get awkward talking about them," Mukuro murmured against the base of Gokudera's sternum.

Hands sliding down Gokudera's skin to rest on his hips, Mukuro knelt to kiss Gokudera's stomach. Palms against the wall behind him, Gokudera's fingers dug in as his body heated and his breathing started to become ragged.

"Despite hating me, you gave me a chance, and despite being as I am, I somehow earned your trust. You left yourself vulnerable before you knew if I was willing to do the same. You know how much I dislike leaving myself open in any way and always offer me the same level of trust and vulnerability in return. _You're _very considerate."

As he spoke, Mukuro removed Gokudera's belt and opened the top of his jeans. His fingers dipped under the hem of Gokudera's jeans and boxers, pulling them down enough for Mukuro to kiss the skin just above where Gokudera's pubic hair began. Already panting, Gokudera let out a soft moan as he went hard.

"You worry for me, and care for me."

Mukuro tugged Gokudera's jeans and boxers down to his ankles. He avoided Gokudera's erection for the moment, instead pressing his kisses to the inside of Gokudera's thighs. Gokudera whimpered, but fought the urge to buck his hips. It was even more difficult to remain upright, with how weak in the knees Mukuro was making him, but he managed. Somehow.

"Though I can be… difficult… you accept me as I am, and what you would change, is only with my happiness in mind. You try to understand me, and whether you succeed or fail – and you succeed more often than not – you still accept me, which very few people would be willing to do, knowing me so well." Mukuro stilled, and was silent for a moment before adding, "And you're very good at taking care of me during my moments of weakness. Apparently, you don't even _mind _needing to take care of me like this sometimes."

Then Mukuro looked up at Gokudera through his eyelashes, smirked, and purred, "You're also _very_ cute." He leaned forward and licked just under the head of Gokudera's cock.

"Ffffuuuuck you," Gokudera groaned. Mukuro laughed softly, which just made Gokudera's heart race even more.

Mukuro stood. Gokudera had a moment to stare at him dazedly before Mukuro's arms wrapped around him and pulled him close against his chest.

"How is it that we always end up with me naked while you're still dressed?" Gokudera huffed, resting his chin on Mukuro's shoulder as he returned the embrace. He resisted the urge to rub his erection against Mukuro's leg.

Instead of chuckling or making a dry response, Mukuro said sincerely, "I find it very satisfying to touch your skin. Both for the feeling – " Mukuro traced a finger up Gokudera's spine, nail scraping just enough to make Gokudera shiver and sigh, " – and for the noises you make. And I'm just more skillful at coaxing you out of your clothing than you are at getting me out of mine."

Gokudera grunted sourly. Then, he began to rub Mukuro's back, and asked, "Are you okay now?"

Mukuro's grip on Gokudera tightened. "Give me a moment."

"You can take all night if you want," Gokudera said quietly. Mukuro hummed and kissed his hair, but otherwise didn't respond. Instead, he slowly rubbed his cheek against the top of Gokudera's head, his breathing going from slow and deep to slightly shaky and back again.

In the meantime, Gokudera closed his eyes, and just focused on the rise and fall of Mukuro's chest against his own. He was still hard to the point of distraction, but he did his best not to squirm.

After a minute, Gokudera ventured carefully, "Hey, Mukuro?"

"Mm?"

"How did you deal with it before?" Gokudera wasn't sure if there was a safe way to describe these moods of Mukuro's, but he knew he didn't have to; Mukuro knew what he meant. He hoped it was safe to ask at all, since he couldn't help but be curious.

Mukuro was silent for so long Gokudera thought he'd decided to ignore the question, but then he said with the neutrality that meant he was trying to keep his feelings under tight control, "You've seen me agitated to the point of violence once before."

The nightmare thing. "Yeah…"

Mukuro said nothing more, and Gokudera frowned. Since Mukuro brought it up like that, it had to be relevant, but –

_I want to hurt something._

_I want to _break _something._

And Gokudera had inferred that Mukuro didn't just mean some_thing._

…Oh.

Mukuro had gone dangerously still, so Gokudera moved one of his hands from Mukuro's back to the nape of his neck, gently massaging. Mukuro shuddered, his grip on Gokudera more vice-like than ever.

"…I don't understand why you don't hate me for that," Mukuro said. Not in a tone that indicated self-hatred, which Gokudera doubted Mukuro had ever once experienced, but in genuine confusion with a hint of wariness underneath.

Mukuro was used to being hated for the things he did, and probably preferred it, since it was easier for him to deal with and more predictable besides; being forgiven, or accepted despite that, threw him off balance.

"I'm not a saint either, you know," Gokudera replied, shrugging as much as he was able to with Mukuro's hold restricting his movement. "And I know you wouldn't go after anyone innocent."

Use them as vessels, yeah, definitely. But hurt them? No.

Well… okay, yeah, he would if it served some plan or other, like he had to find Tsuna, but even then he hadn't _killed _anyone. And he definitely wouldn't hurt someone innocent just to check reality or vent a mood. Gokudera was confident of that much.

"Mm…" Mukuro's hands lowered to begin stroking Gokudera's hips, sensuality radiating from him so suddenly that Gokudera twitched with surprise. "Let's have sex, Hayato. I want to make you writhe and emit those adorable noises. I want to make you scream my name. As you yourself might put it, _I want to fuck you so hard right now._" For emphasis, Mukuro ground their hips together, the friction of denim against Gokudera's erection not quite enough to disguise that Mukuro was really, _really _aroused.

Gokudera squeaked.

"I'd like to monitor you, too," Mukuro added almost as an afterthought. It took Gokudera a moment to remember that that meant using his possession power to keep track of Gokudera's physical state and sensations. He'd only learned about it a few days ago, and he'd already half-forgotten it. Shit.

"Yeah okay," Gokudera finally managed to say, wide-eyed and breathless. "But only if you tell me how the hell I turned you on this much so I know how to do it again in the future."

"I'll give you a crash course later," Mukuro said directly into his ear in a tone that made Gokudera's throat go dry. Then he bent his head and bit Gokudera's neck. Hard.

Gokudera's fingers dug into Mukuro's back as he panted raggedly. The coherent part of his mind wondered if he should suggest they go for the chocolate and restraints after all, but quickly trashed the idea. He was still pretty iffy about being tied up in the first place, no way did he want to submit to it with Mukuro feeling this aggressive.

Mukuro dragged his fingernails down Gokudera's sides, breaking his train of thought. Gokudera hissed. Mukuro's teeth finally released Gokudera's neck and he rubbed his cheek against Gokudera's apologetically. From the throbbing, Gokudera had the sinking feeling he'd have a very visible hickey in the morning. Shit.

Then Mukuro was kissing his collarbone, his nipples, his sternum, his stomach, his navel, and Gokudera suddenly didn't care about how visible a hickey he was going to have.

Mukuro knelt down in front of Gokudera again. Gokudera braced himself for having his cock kissed or licked or sucked on, so Mukuro's lips closing around his balls startled a high-pitched, breathy cry out of him.

Mukuro began sucking so vigorously that Gokudera clapped a hand over his mouth, struggling to muffle the desperate mewling his throat was trying to emit. He didn't fucking care what _Mukuro _wanted to hear, that shit was embarrassing.

And as if that wasn't enough already, two lubricated fingers pressed into his ass – Mukuro must have managed to get a hand on Gokudera's shopping bag and the new bottle of lube. Mukuro pushed his fingers in deep and crooked them, firmly stroking in time with Mukuro's sucking.

It was more stimulation than Gokudera had ever had to endure before, and despite his best efforts, he had to brace himself against the wall with both hands to keep his legs from giving out, and with nothing to muffle him –

"Ah… _Ah! Nnn! _F-fuck, M… _ah! Ah! _M-Mukuro, yooo_ooou _nnn, _nnnNNNNnnn _b-bas, ta, ah, _ah,_ ha, bas_taAA_ard… Mu, Mukuroooo… grrrgh, f-fuck, fuck you, you d-dick – _ah, ah!_"

Mukuro just increased his ministrations even more, and the light scrape of teeth over extremely sensitized skin on one side and the prick of nails on the other had tears stinging the corner of Gokudera's eyes, much to his mortified and furious indignity.

The desperate moan Gokudera's mouth insisted on releasing had Mukuro leaning back, pulling his fingers out, and glancing up at him. Beyond embarrassed to be brought to and then looked at in this state, Gokudera averted his eyes, pressing the back of his hand over his mouth again, expression twisted and body trembling with humili…

_Scaring you or humiliating you. Incorporating pain. Maybe even making you cry._

Ahfuck.

"Get your hand away from your mouth, Hayato," Mukuro said in such a husky tone that it sent a pulse of heightened desire through Gokudera, as if he weren't dealing with enough of that already. "And _look at me._"

Fuck fuck fuck.

Shaking, blushing hard enough to bruise, fighting to keep the sting of tears from progressing beyond that, Gokudera forced himself to lower his hand and look at Mukuro. Because he was a fucking good boyfriend and also he was so desperate to get off he was willing to do way more than he otherwise would have.

Then he saw the look on Mukuro's face, and _holy fuck –_

That was all Gokudera had time to think before Mukuro surged up, seizing him, mouth clamping down on Gokudera's in an aggressive kiss that was more teeth than tongue. Mukuro's hands grasped under Gokudera's thighs as Mukuro pushed in closer, resulting in Gokudera being rammed against the wall with his legs hooked just below Mukuro's hips. Gokudera practically had to flail to get his arms wrapped around Mukuro's neck before he could unbalance and fall.

After a moment of struggle, Gokudera managed to free his lips and tongue long enough to whine, "You've still got your fucking clothes on."

Mukuro responded by shifting his grip from Gokudera's thighs to grab him by the waist, and hauled him away in the direction of the bedroom. He all but threw Gokudera down onto the futon, stripped faster than Gokudera thought possible, and then was on Gokudera in a heartbeat.

Gokudera hissed, fingers digging into Mukuro's back as he wrapped his legs around Mukuro's waist. Mukuro wasn't exactly gentle about thrusting into him, and while being fingered had prepared and lubricated Gokudera to a certain extent, Mukuro had plunged in dry, and wasn't letting that stop him from pumping vigorously.

Certain parts of Gokudera were alive and trembling with sharp pleasure, but mostly it just hurt.

"F-fuck, ah, Mukuro! Fuck! Ow!"

Mukuro slowed a little, nuzzling at Gokudera's cheek. "If you want me to stop, say so," he purred, voice still very husky. Then, he renewed his pace.

Gokudera's fingernails bit into Mukuro's back, and he grimaced, breathing raggedly, but he didn't tell Mukuro to stop. Mukuro was being careful not to do any real damage, and as his strokes went deeper, Gokudera's back arched, precum dripping down his erection. Almost, almost – despite the pain, he was so close, so close, so _close _–

Mukuro thrust in to his base as he came, mouth descending on Gokudera's to kiss him through his climax. Gokudera kissed him back, but when Mukuro finished and melted against him without getting Gokudera off, Gokudera bucked his hips, insistent and plaintive.

Mukuro leaned back, wearing a sleepy, satisfied smile, sticky with sweat. Instead of answering Gokudera's unspoken demand for release, he pulled out and folded his arms around Gokudera's neck, rubbing their cheeks together affectionately. Distracted by the unprecedented amount of desperate lust pulsing through him, it took Gokudera a moment to realize the grip also prevented him from reaching down and jacking himself off.

"_Mukuro,_" Gokudera moaned, full of too much need to get properly angry.

Mukuro kissed the corner of Gokudera's mouth, but didn't reply.

Gokudera bucked his hips again, and rubbed his body against Mukuro's, trying to get some kind of friction for his cock. Mukuro somehow managed to avoid any such contact while still hugging Gokudera tightly.

"The fuck, Mukuro, come on," Gokudera whined, butting his head against Mukuro's and squirming as close as he could. "Do you want me to say please? Because I fucking will. Please please _please._"

A slight shudder went through Mukuro's body. "Mm, you do know how to tempt me, Hayato. But no."

"What do you fucking mean, no?!" Gokudera snarled, redoubling his efforts. "I let you do whatever the fuck you want, what the hell did I do to make you want to fucking torture me?"

Mukuro just smiled and kissed his cheek.

Gokudera's answering growl became a desperate moan as the lust began to dim, a feeling that was excruciatingly painful when it had been so hot and so high.

"Mukuro, I don't like this," he whimpered. "Mukuro, come on, _please._"

Mukuro shuddered again, and let out a quiet moan of his own – a moan of pleasure, Gokudera realized indignantly. Of course, of fucking _course _the damn bastard enjoyed being begged for mercy. Fuck.

And with each passing second, the horrible sensation just got worse.

Much to his internal outrage and chagrin, Gokudera couldn't stop himself from letting out a tiny, hiccupping half-sob. His eyes were stinging again. He sniffled.

Mukuro's hand finally began to snake down towards Gokudera's erection, but Gokudera caught his wrist.

"Are you actually going to jack me off?" Gokudera asked stiffly, determinedly blinking back those fucking horrible tears. "Or are you going to play with me just enough to keep me begging and crying?"

Mukuro blinked innocently at him.

Gokudera choked down the immediate, furious response he wanted to give to that, choked back the snarling, the whimpering, the whining. He choked it all down until he could give Mukuro a cold, hard stare, and said simply, "Don't."

Mukuro sobered, pulled away, and sat back on his heels. When Gokudera reached for his erection, though, Mukuro caught his wrist.

When Gokudera snarled at him, Mukuro used his free hand to caress Gokudera's hair, and murmured, "If you give me a moment to grab the lubricant, I'll let you vent your frustration in a more satisfying capacity."

Gokudera relaxed, mollified. "Fucking hurry, then," he snapped.

Mukuro's hand dipped down to briefly trace his fingertips up Gokudera's cock and lightly circle the tip – just enough stimulation to cause a surge in Gokudera's banking lust – then stood and left the room.

He was back moments later. He knelt beside Gokudera, squirted a copious amount of lube into his hand, then slowly began to trail his fingers up and down Gokudera's cock.

Gokudera's hands fisted in the sheets and he moaned over and over as Mukuro thoroughly coated him with lube. Panting hoarsely as his need was stoked back to almost painful heights, Gokudera held out as long as he could before lunging forward and pushing Mukuro down on his back.

It took every ounce of his self-control to enter Mukuro slowly, waiting for the muscle surrounding him to adjust and relax before he pushed forward another few centimeters. Mukuro didn't make it any easier, his gradually-more-ragged breathing and small shudders and most of all the banked intensity in the heterochromatic eyes locked on green driving Gokudera mad.

Gokudera and Mukuro both groaned as Gokudera eased in to his base. Gokudera bent to rest his forehead against Mukuro's, for a moment just luxuriating in the feel of muscle clenching and twitching around his length. Mukuro twined his arms around Gokudera's neck and rubbed his forehead against Gokudera's affectionately.

"Hayato," Mukuro sighed, and sounded so happy that Gokudera lifted his head to stare at him, heart pounding with something more than lust.

While Mukuro had set a furious pace, Gokudera kept his thrusts deep and slow, and never broke eye contact. Which might have been a mistake, because after a minute Mukuro had a strange look on his face, smoky and intense but with traces of shy vulnerability and undertones of appreciation and affection, and the longer it went on, the less it felt like _sex, _and more like –

…something more.

Uncomfortable about going in that direction and worried about making the intimacy too serious, Gokudera gradually increased his pace until he was pumping as quickly as Mukuro had been, and within minutes he was following Mukuro's example and kissing Mukuro fiercely as his body _finally _spasmed with release.

Somehow, he managed to pull out without pulling away, leaving his hands clamped on Mukuro's face as he kissed him again, and again, and again, until Mukuro was shuddering and rubbing up against him, fingers digging into Gokudera's sweaty back.

Finally Gokudera broke away, and both of them panted breathlessly for a few minutes, hands stroking each other with near-desperate affection. Even those touches slowed eventually, and they just leaned their foreheads together, smiling at each other.

Then Mukuro coughed a little, and looked chagrined.

Gokudera leaned back enough to get a fuller look at Mukuro's face. "By any chance," he said with dry exasperation, "was the reason you showed up here already cranky… because you were just getting over being sick?"

Mukuro grimaced, and wouldn't meet his eyes.

Beyond satisfied at the chance to rub it in, Gokudera said smugly, "I fucking told you so."

"Shut up, Hayato."

* * *

End A/Ns: Ugh I started writing this just wanting to do the sex and then they got SO OFF TRACK but then I was able to make them do the sex (if not quite what I originally had in mind) so it's all good. 8D

(and before you ask idek about the title I suck at titling things just go with it ok)

I know a lot of peoples' headcanon is that Mukuro likes using illusions to toy with his sexual partners, but, while I can see him using them to help him manipulate someone (as he did with Gokudera early in TOMB before they had feelings for each other), my personal interpretation of Mukuro wouldn't want to contaminate intimacy with someone he's at least semi-serious about and cares for a lot by adding a level of unreality to it.

Chronology-wise, this is actually very shortly after "Sick of Body." Like, during the same week (that week being the first week of March). Let's call Sick of Body Monday, and this one Thursday. And yes, Mukuro did spend the intermittent days sick with the bug he caught from Gokudera. ;D He was too embarrassed to say anything about it to Gokudera and he had the rest of the Kokuyo gang to look after him anyway and he'd hoped Gokudera wouldn't find out at all but of course I wasn't going to let him get away with that. x3

For the curious, Mukuro found Gokudera's ability to reassure and calm him while also not taking any shit to be very attractive, and then accepting the fact that Mukuro can be a bad person sometimes but also trusting him not to be _too _horrible turned him on like nothing else. And then Gokudera kept hitting all his kinks (and it was _extra _kinky because it wasn't on purpose, it was 100% pure natural Gokudera), so yeah that's why that happened. 8D

In case it wasn't already disgustingly obvious, my Mukuro is a _big _fan of orgasm denial. O;D

I'm probably going to take a break from TOMB one-shots for a while – the school year's about to start up for me and I'm taking 2 grad classes while also working and I have other projects I want to write. I'd really like to finish up Adversities of Accelerated Aging and then I have another multi-chapter fic I'd like to put together.

And omfg ugh these A/Ns are waaaaay too long. To make it up to you (and because I love you guys), here's a bonus scene.

* * *

Extra Scene

* * *

"Morning, Tenth!"

Tsuna stopped and turned at the cheerful greeting, smiling at Gokudera. "Good morning, Gokudera-kun!" Before he could say anything more, he noticed a weird bruise on Gokudera's neck, and his brow wrinkled with concern. Gokudera was walking a little strangely, too. "Eh, what happened? Are you injured?"

Gokudera stared at him blankly for a moment, then went beet red and clapped a hand over the bruise on his neck. "Oh, uh – n-no! No, uh, this, uh, this is…" He trailed off, fidgeting and avoiding Tsuna's eyes.

"What, you're hurt, Gokudera?" Yamamoto asked as he joined them. "Doing extra training?"

"I'm not hurt!" Gokudera snapped, tugging up his collar to try and hide the bruise. "Mukuro's going to be, though," he muttered darkly, so low under his breath that Tsuna almost didn't hear him. Then he forced a smile, and went on, "If we don't hurry, we'll be late!"

And Gokudera bolted in the direction of the school.

Tsuna and Yamamoto exchanged baffled looks.

"Did he say something about Mukuro?" Yamamoto asked, brow furrowed.

"You heard that too?"

"Yeah," Yamamoto replied, scratching the back of his head and laughing. "Maybe they've been training together, or – " Yamamoto cut off, and looked startled for a moment before his expression shifted to being flustered. "Oh."

"What?" Tsuna asked, blinking at him.

Yamamoto looked awkward. "Uh, Gokudera's right, we should hurry!" He jogged after Gokudera.

Tsuna watched him go, confused. What was with –

Then it clicked.

"…Oh," Tsuna squeaked.

* * *

Extra End A/Ns: (sob someone stop me)

People who know that Mukuro and Gokudera are dating: the Kokuyo gang, Tsuna, Reborn, Bianchi, Yamamoto, Kyoko, Haru, Hibari, and the Shimon family. Outside those shown to have been told directly by Gokudera or Mukuro, they found out either via the power of observation and/or confirming with Tsuna that that's what was going on. (Ryohei is the most oblivious person in the world and thus is not in the know as of yet. Those residing in Italy obviously have had no opportunity to find out.) Gokudera and Mukuro both refuse to talk about the details of their relationship with anyone else, though it's possible to pick up various things if you're perceptive enough. ;D

While both Yamamoto and Tsuna are the oblivious-to-sexual-innuendo-and-undercurrents types, they are both also teenage boys so yes.

and one more snippet because I couldn't resist

* * *

"Your slovenly appearance today is unacceptable, herbivore."

"_Just leave me the fuck alone already!_"


End file.
